The following article appeared in the 19 October, 1996 edition of the
Jordanian publication "Al Hayat":

Western intelligence reports note that Iran will succeed within one
year to manufacture catastrophic nerve gas. If Iran produces such gas,
the Gulf States will be in danger and this will threaten the stability
of the Middle East.

Knowledgeable sources advise that Western intelligence is concerned
so much by the new information that they have asked for a serious investigation
to be launched in order to determine the importance of the news.

The sources point out that in the course of the last years Iran has
invested efforts in order to independently manufacture weapons of mass
destruction. The Iranian activities, which President of Iran, Rafsanjani,
personally oversees, are advancing in three areas: nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons.

The Iranians have invested up until now several hundreds of millions
of dollars in these projects. Much money was devoted to the purchase of
new technology from the countries of the world in addition to the productive
use of the services of international experts.

The intelligence reports note that Iran needs several years in order
to produce nuclear weapons. Iran now is at the advance stages, and has
almost succeeded in independently producing the "Sirin" nerve
gas. Al Hayat (19 October, 1996)